This invention generally relates to a self-powered solar sunroof assembly mounted in the roof of a vehicle. No external attachments are needed to power the sunroof assembly.
Typically, automotive part suppliers supply sunroofs to automotive manufacturers. Prior to this invention, automotive manufacturers had to design the power supply for vehicle sunroofs.
Therefore, much coordination between the suppliers and manufacturers was required to design an appropriate power supply for a given sunroof system. This resulted in increased costs and time delays for both the supplier and the manufacturer.
One item that needs to be coordinated between the manufacturer and supplier is the wiring, which is necessary to facilitate powering movement of the sunroof. The supplier needs to communicate the required parameters to the manufacturers. This means more design time is needed because the supplier""s designers and engineers are most familiar with the sunroof system. The manufacturer""s designers and engineers then need to educate themselves about the sunroof system to incorporate the sunroof system into the vehicle.
Additionally, the power source for the sunroof is the vehicle""s battery. This is potentially problematic due to the development of electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Any additional load on the vehicle""s battery in these types of vehicles could be detrimental to the vehicle""s overall performance.
Several years ago a solar sunroof system was developed. The glass panel of this prior solar-sunroof was completely covered with solar cells to produce the required power and did not incorporate an auxiliary battery to power the unit. The panel was composed of a transparent electrode positioned between a glass substrate and an electrode containing the amorphous silicon deposits with a dot-matrix pattern stamped out. The solar cells were used to generate electricity that recharged the vehicle""s main battery and also powered an auxiliary cooling fan. Thus, wires were still needed to connect the vehicle battery to the sunroof. This solar sunroof system was unsuccessful due to its high price and unaesthetic appearance.
As a result, a completely self-contained, self-powered solar sunroof assembly that requires minimal coordination between automotive manufacturer and supplier and minimal reliance on the vehicle""s systems would be advantageous for both parties.
The self-powered solar sunroof of the present invention overcomes the above problems with known solar powered sunroof systems. In general terms, this invention is a self-powered solar sunroof assembly. The unit is completely self-contained, meaning that the sunroof functions independently of the vehicle""s systems. In fact, the unit can even function when completely removed from a vehicle.
The sunroof assembly comprises a movable panel, preferably a window, mounted in a vehicle""s roof, a motor for controlling movement of the movable panel, and a self-contained power supply unit that supplies power to the motor. The self-contained power supply unit includes an auxiliary battery, separate from the vehicle battery, and at least one solar cell array that charges the battery. The solar cell array or arrays are attached to the movable panel or any part of the sunroof assembly that may be directly or indirectly exposed to the sun. This invention can be used in spoiler sunroofs, slide-tilt sunroofs, or other types of sunroofs.
Additionally, this invention not only can be utilized in current vehicles; it can also be utilized in specialty vehicles of the future.